1. Field of the Invention
The invention is related to a device for retaining a boot on a glide board intended for snowboarding, and is specifically related to an automatic feeding device.
2. Description of Background and Relevant Information
While snowboarding, the user is often called upon to attach and to release his/her boots from the board, for example, in order to use the various mechanical lift means, or to regain his balance after a fall.
The term attaching should be understood as being an operation that consists of affixing a boot to the board, whereas the term releasing denotes the reverse operation.
Various devices have been created in order to facilitate the attaching and releasing operation.
For example, the document WO 96/05994 discloses an automatic attaching device, i.e., a device that enables the user to affix the boot to the board simply by the action of his foot, whereas releasing is done with the help of the hands.
The device according to the document WO 96/05894 includes a boot equipped with two bale assemblies that are designed to cooperate with respective bindings, the bindings having a base affixed to the board. During the attaching operation, one of the bales located on one side of the boot becomes housed in an open notch of the base, whereas the other located on the other side of the boot becomes housed in a notch of the base whose access is controlled by a latch.
When the user presses down with the foot, the bales become immobilized in the notches. During the attaching operation, the latch is displaced from an unlatching position towards a latching position. Once the attaching operation has been undertaken, the latch is maintained in the latching position, for example, via the permanent action of an elastic means, by a mobile hinge mechanism, or even by a catch system.
The boot is thus maintained at a fixed distance from the base on the side of the open notch, and at a variable distance from the base on the side of the latch.
The device according to the document WO 96/05894 does, however, have a certain number of disadvantages.
Firstly, the contact between the boot and the base is variable over time due to the variations in the thickness of the snow or the ice that melts or disintegrates while snowboarding. Consequently, the steering of the board by the user is disturbed.
Secondly, the user cannot perceive all the sensory information with the front and rear ends of the feet. Indeed, until the that the snow or ice melts or disintegrates, the contact between the boot and the base only takes place in a central zone of the boot.
Furthermore, the device does not allow for an easy attaching operation when a very substantial thickness of snow or ice is located between the base and the boot.